Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Ever feel like the weekend is one big party? That was this past weekend for us!

Saturday we helped celebrate the 50th birthday of a dear friend. And it was a day-long event! We began just after lunch time by heading into downtown Asheville to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge.

It was, in one word... Amazing! I had a lavender and honey liquid truffle. Which was so yummy. The Man of the House had a "chocolate sip" - which was ridiculously rich and delicious. And we split a chocolate nib brownie, which was... so good there are no words!

If you are in or around the Asheville area and haven't been here yet - GO! Unless you are maybe one of those rare people who doesn't like chocolate - in which case, don't. But, you really should.

From there, we all headed to the Grove Park Inn to relax in the Great Hall and take some photos out on the terrace.

Afterward, her husband surprised her with a dinner where we all enjoyed some good food and company.

The birthday celebrations continued into Sunday afternoon with the grand baby's 5th birthday party. I keep saying this - but I guess it's time to stop calling him the grand "baby", especially now that he's five. He's definitely not a baby anymore.

He had a wonderful day with a Minecraft themed party, a yummy cake, and best of all - a piñata!

It was a busy weekend. We had a lot of fun. We may or may not have eaten an extreme amount of sugar. (We did).

Monday, January 23, 2017

They've been showing up in my email daily for the past week or two. Emails letting me know that storage items are on sale. Telling me about all the items being offered which will help me get my clutter under control. Baskets and decorative boxes are half off!

They're so tempting with their siren's song of getting my life organized and getting all my things under control once and for all.

Hold on just a sec. Wait a minute...

Are they all telling me that I need to buy more STUFF in order to contain all the STUFF I already own?

Why - yes! I think that's exactly what they are trying to convince me. That because of all the things I have cluttering up my life and home -I need to buy MORE things!

Um... Does this seem wrong to anyone else?

My life is not going to become simplified by purchasing more things to put in my home in order to hold all the stuff that's already there. The only solution to all the clutter in my life is to start eliminating it. Not by adding to it!

Instead of adding to the clutter by getting a bunch of new items that are supposed to contain it, this week I am getting rid of some of the things cluttering up my home.

What is one area or room where you can get rid of some of the "stuff" cluttering up your home.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

It's my first Gratitude post of 2017! In my effort to simplify things this year, I will only be posting clips from my Gratitude journal once or twice a month instead of trying to do it every week. I would love it if some of you would join me by writing your own Gratitude posts and shared the link in the comments.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

I never considered myself one of those people who would make the switch from paper to cloth napkins. Cloth napkins were for special occasions and restaurants - not every day use. Right? Right!

That is, until I recently started thinking about all the trash we dispose of over the course of a week. And how much we spend on all those cloth napkins over the weeks, months, and years. YIKES! Suddenly, cloth napkins seemed not only doable - but quite reasonable.

I found a good deal on some nice simple white napkins through Amazon. Which will pay for themselves pretty quickly, considering the cost of paper napkins!

I keep a few folded in the napkin holder on the table, where I used to keep paper napkins. And now some also live in a little wooden box on the kitchen counter where I can grab one instead of always reaching for the paper towels.

I put a special little basket under the sink for the used napkins - which I take to the laundry room every other day or so when I do a load of whites.

So far it's working out perfectly! Despite the male offspring constantly informing at first that "this is just a bad idea".

Monday, January 9, 2017

I admit that I can not claim to be much of a
role model when it comes to housekeeping. One of the chores I only tackle
when I feel I just absolutely have to it is cleaning the walls.
Because... ugh! In a busy house with light gray walls - this isn't a good
thing. They start looking pretty dingy before I get around to washing
them. Unfortunately for me - it was time.

Scrubbing down walls
didn't really fit into the image I had of my "Simplified" year.
I mean, it's not exactly a quick and easy job. It was time to
hit up my favorite source for tips and tricks (Pinterest) to see if I can find
an simpler way to get it done. Pinterest didn't let me down! I saw
a few ideas I liked, set my mind to the task ahead and It. Was. On!

The first thing I
did was to take the broom and sweep down any cobwebs and dust.

Next, I fit my
Swiffer mop with an old dishcloth that I use for cleaning. I sprayed a
section of wall with my favorite all purpose cleaner.

ThenI "mopped" the wall using the
Swiffer mop using firm pressure. I
worked in small sections, working from top to bottom.

After I finished a
wall, I took the cleaning cloth and wiped down the bsseboards and light switch.

And... VOILA!!
Clean walls. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Do you clean your walls on a regular basis? Share your best tips for making the task easier!

Thursday, January 5, 2017

You might never believe me if I told you it was possible to be thankful for a big nasty looking bruise on your child's body. Until the day you see it there... and you are. Just as I was a few days ago.

Last weekend, the man of the house and I made a last minute decision to drive up to Gatlinburg on Saturday. We started out early in the morning and had only been in town for about an hour when his cell phone rang. It was our son, telling us he had been in a wreck. Of course this mama's heart jumped right into her throat, as her stomach felt like it hit the floor.

Long story short - one of his rear tires blew, causing him to skid off the road and take out a telephone pole. Fortunately he was alright, but sitting on the side of the road waiting on the police and a tow truck. While we were now over an hour and a half away! I was able to call my dad to go get him. And of course, we cut our day short and headed right home.

He is fine. Except for a small cut on his hand from some broken glass and a nasty contusion on his shoulder/upper chest from the seat belt. Which I am thankful for every time I see, knowing how much worse it could have been if he hadn't been wearing that seat belt. Every time I catch a glimpse of it, I thank God for protecting him!

Have you ever been grateful for something that would otherwise seem to be a negative?